Benjamin Netanyahu draws 'red line' on Iranian nuclear programme

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United Nations on
Thursday that Iran will have enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb
by next summer and urged the world the draw a clear "red line" to
stop it in its tracks.

1:55PM BST 28 Sep 2012

In a bold challenge to Washington and the West, he said it was getting "late, very late" to stop Iran and that "the future of the world" was at stake.

Sharply raising the pressure on President Barack Obama, Mr Netanyahu clarified for the first time where he expected the US to set Iran a "red line" that would trigger an American military response, though he did not explicitly call for that action.

He used a crude diagram to show the progress Iran had made towards a bomb, drawing a red line in marker pen at the point where he said Iran must be stopped.

Mr Netanyahu said Iran had completed the first stage of uranium enrichment.

"Iran is 70 per cent of the way there and ... well into the second stage. By next summer, at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage," he said.

"From there it is only a few more weeks before they have enriched enough for a bomb."

Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that time is running out to stop the Islamic Republic from becoming a nuclear power and the threat of force must be seriously considered.

"I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down – and it will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy," he said.

"The only way you can credibly prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is to prevent them from enriching enough uranium," he added.